Spies and Detectives

A list of suggested titles for this summer's Reading is an Adventure Challenge: Mystery. Features picture books and chapter books about spies and/or detectives.

Updated June 24, 2024
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Mac undercover /
Barnett, Mac.
Paper Book
A thrilling, hilarious fully-illustrated spy adventure series, from the esteemed New York Times bestselling and multi-award-winning author Mac Barnett!A New York Times bestsellerAn Amazon Best Book of 2018Before Mac Barnett was an author, he was a kid.And while he...
Detective pony
Betancourt, Jeanne.
Paper Book
During a fire at the Crandal Animal Clinic, the Pony Pals help remove all the animals unharmed--but Anna's kitten is missing. A pony named Acorn comes to the rescue in a thrilling search.
Winterborne Home for vengeance and valor /
Carter, Ally.
Paper Book
"This is the kind of read that makes your soul sit up straight. At once a heart-wrenching tale of found family and a thrilling, atmospheric mystery that keeps you guessing at every page, Ally Carter's middle grade debut is a triumph. I loved April's character down to the barb wire wrapped around...
Spy school
Gibbs, Stuart
Paper Book
"Combines Alex Rider's espionage skills with a huge dose of the sarcasm of Artemis Fowl." --School Library Journal Can an undercover nerd become a superstar agent? In the first book in the New York Times bestselling Spy School series, Ben Ripley sure hopes so-...
Mission unstoppable /
Gutman, Dan.
Ebook
The most exciting road trip in history begins! In this action-packed, New York Times bestselling adventure, twelve-year-old twins Coke and Pepsi McDonald embark on a family vacation you'll have to read to believe. Coke McDonald and his twin sister, Pepsi, think their family's...
Spy cat /
Kehret, Peg.
Paper Book
Pete the cat can't actually talk to his owner, Alex, but he's a crime-solving cat, and he knows when things aren't right. And now, Pete knows something is wrong. Someone's been breaking into houses in the neighborhood, and they're not just stealing people's property150they're kidnapping pets! When...
Mystery on Magnolia Circle
Klise, Kate
Paper Book
Rear Window meets Nancy Drew in this middle-grade novel by Kate Klise about a girl who believes she has witnessed a crime What happens when two best friends take on the world's worst summer? On the first day of vacation, ten-year-old...
Notorious /
Korman, Gordon.
Paper Book
A funny, suspenseful mystery and unlikely friendship story from New York Times bestselling author Gordon Korman--perfect for fans of Swindle and Ungifted. Keenan has lived all over the world but nowhere quite as strange as Centerlight Island, which is split between the...
Swift and Hawk :
Macx, Logan.
Paper Book
For fans of the Alex Rider and Spy School series comes a twenty-first-century spin on the spy novel, featuring a girl and boy whose brilliant minds and cutting-edge technology make them unstoppable. When their families are violently kidnapped, Swift and Hawk--teen experts in AI...
Mrs. Smith's Spy School for Girls /
McMullen, Beth,
Paper Book
A girl discovers her boarding school is actually an elite spy-training program, and she must learn the skills of the trade in order to find her mother in this action-packed middle grade debut. After a botched escape plan from her boarding school, Abigail is stunned to discover...
City spies /
Ponti, James.
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller! A GMA3 Summer Reading Squad Selection! "Ingeniously plotted, and a grin-inducing delight." --People "Will keep young readers glued to the page...So when do I get the sequel?" --Beth McMullen, author of Mrs. Smith's Spy School...
Framed! /
Ponti, James.
Paper Book
Get to know the only kid on the FBI Director's speed dial and several international criminals' most wanted lists all because of his Theory of All Small Things in this hilarious start to a brand-new middle grade mystery series. So you're only halfway through your homework and the...

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